Blushing Monk | Founders Brewing Company

0 characters.
We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters. Awesome. Thanks for the review!

In English, explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.

More User Reviews:

Pours a somewhat dark garnet red, with a half inch fizzy head, and a little bit of lacing.

Smells so deeply and richly of raspberry, just insane. There's a bit of yeasty esters, with both raspberry flesh and raspberry juice.

This has one of the biggest raspberry flavors I've ever gotten out of the beer. Seriously heavy duty. The booze shows a little bit, as the taste has a very warming quality. It's not all raspberry, though, as I also get a slightly winey grape juice note as well, along with some vague malt sweetness. I can't really pinpoint what malt was used here. There is a slight cough syrup vibe to this, but it's not so bad.

This has a very sweet and slightly syrupy mouthfeel, with a pretty low level of carbonation. It still goes down pretty easily, though.

I'm really glad I finally got to try this one. It's not the best raspberry beer I've ever had (what up, LPF and Raspberry Tart), but this still one of the most authentically fruit forward beers I've ever had.

I picked up a bottle of Founder's Blushing Monk last week for $16 at The lager Mill. I've been wanting to try this beer for a long time and since I missed out on it when it was the first Backstage series release I made sure to get a few bottles of this release, so lets see how it goes. 2015 Vintage. Poured from a brown 22oz bottle into a teku.

A- The label looks good, it's got a fancy look to it that fits the beer nicely and it's eye catching. It poured a nice ruby red color that takes on more of a bright red color when held to the light with two fingers worth of creamy and slightly bubbly light pink head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left some a little bit spotty lacing behind. This is a very nice looking Fruit Beer, I have no complaints at all.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with some huge raspberries aromas being the first to show up and it has a nice raspberry preserve like aroma to it that isn't overly sweet, but it's still pretty sweet and those aromas dominate this beer. Up next comes the yeast which imparts a nice Belgian yeast aroma that's pretty light and it's followed by the malts which show up a little more than the yeast and they impart some nice malty. bready, sweet malt and slightly grainy aromas. This beer has a very nice aroma, the raspberry dominate this beer but the background aromas are good too.

T- The taste seems to be very similar to the aroma and it starts off with a pretty low amount of high sweetness with the raspberries still being the first to show up and they are just how they were in the aroma with the big raspberry aspects dominating this beer and imparting a great raspberry preserve flavor. Up next comes the Belgian yeast which is a little lighter than it was in the aroma and it's followed by the malts which are exactly the same as they were in the aroma with those nice bready malts seeming to stick out the most. On the the finish there's a little more sweetness along with a little bit of tartness and a big raspberry preserve aftertaste. This is a very nice tasting beer, it's just what I want in a raspberry beer.

M- Smooth, slightly refreshing, alcohol is well hidden, on the thicker side of being medium bodied with a medium a mount of carbonation. This beer had a very nice mouthfeel that worked well with it.

Overall I thought this was a very nice beer and I thought it was a very nice example of the style, fruit beers can be hit or miss, but this one takes that big fruity flavor that I always look for in the style, and it adds just enough complexity to make it just not a one note beer and in the end it makes for one tasty beer. This beer has nice drinkability, it's smooth, slightly refreshing, the alcohol is hidden well , it's not too filling and the taste does a good job at holding my attention, I think one glass is the perfect amount for me, but I might attempt to drink a whole bottle. What I like the most about this beer is that it showcases the raspberry in all it's glory. What I like the least about this beer is nothing, there isn't anything that I disliked or would change. I would buy this beer again if they release it again and I got a few bottles in the cellar to see how it changes over time. I would recommend this beer especially if you like raspberry beers. All in all I was pretty impressed with this beer, I though rubaes was pretty damn good, but this one just raised the bar another notch and Founder did everything right with this beer. It's not a favorite founders beer, but it is my favorite non sour raspberry beer. Great job guys, this is one awesome beer, keep it up.

A crazy strong raspberry ale that's all about the fruit. One dimensional throughout, this beer is every much a showcase for the raspberry in much the same way that hops are for IPA's. ...and wonderfully so.

A pour of blood-red releases a pinkish head of froath and sprite- caught somewhere between a Belgian pale ale and champagne. bright clarity gives a remarkable ruby red glow that reminds me of Lindeman's Framboise except with better clarity. Low on lace, the 12+% abv and dry malt base won't allow more.

Succulent and bright aromas of raspberry juice, freshly squeezed fills the nose. Background aromas of citric acids provide a subtle balance and moderate tart scent that provides roundness to the nose. Fructose sweetness blends well with the malts of soft powdered sugars for a less tart scent. The yeasty spice and fruit all reinforce the raspberry focus without confussion. An absolutely exquisite scent!

Flavors are nearly a mirror description of what's found in the nose: Raspberry on the forefront from the initial sip, through the depth of the gullet. Vine-rippened and freshly picked, the beer preserves all those juicy and vibrant fruit flavors with natural tasting sweetness and a smooth citric acidity that provides a tart balance to the fresh rapberry sweetness. Never sour or bitter, the beer is an flawless display of what raspberries should taste like in a beer. The surpressed malts, yeasty spice and fruitiness, and alcohol provide just enough support to the fruit without bringing attention to themselves.

Medium-full textures to start makes a quick transition towart fruity tartness, light pectin bite and slight astringency in finish as the carbonation proves fleeting and the tartness meshes with alcohol for a warm and dry finish with a memory of raspberry that lingers well into the next sip. Much lighter than New Glarus' Raspberry Tart for increased dryness and less interference from malt.

An insanely intense display of raspberry! Avoiding all the common flaws of typical fruit beers, and with the excessive use of fruit, it's remarkable how vibrant and true that this beer is to nature and the character of the plant.

I was hoping to taste more Belgian yeasty goodness. This tasted almost only like raspberries to me with no complex flavors that i wanted to get in a belgian fruit beer. Worth trying. Wish i could've got a sample pour before spending 16$ on a bottle. Probably won't buy again.

750ml bottle poured into a pint glass
A: Dark pink with a pink one-finger head
S: Pure, fresh raspberry with a bit of wheat and Belgian yeast
T: Initially this matched the nose with intense fresh raspberry and wheat but then a weird bitter note took over and provided an unpleasant lengthy finish. Not sure if the yeast got weird in the bottle or something else but it definitely turned a very good beer into something rather disappointing
F: Light-bodied, semi-sweet but balanced though again the bitter is out of place
O: Promising but for the price this bottle was a let-down. If that bitter note wasn't there and the fruit/wheat kept the stage I would be scoring this a lot higher. Without the bitter note it would go from very good to perfect if there was a bit of acidity to complement the sweetness

Thanks to jdiddy for pulling this out of the cellar. 750ml bottle served in a chalice. 2006 vintage. Pours a brilliant, translucent claret hue with no head. Big raspberry aromas, as well as a slight, earthy character. I cannot express how much raspberry you get off the nose. Taste is fantastic - raspberry dominates, but there's also an easy, pleasant tartness, some acidity and a slightly medicinal quality. Mouthfeel is medium-light in body with a crisp carbonation. This is an amazing and dangerously drinkable beer (the earlier vintage weighed in at 12.6%). Having tried the 2011 vintage immediately following, I have to say that age has done some wonderful things to this brew. If you can pick up a couple bottles, definitely cellar one for several years.

Possibly the best fruit beer I've had where the fruit is the sole star. This beer is all about jammy raspberries. It's not "funky" or "sour." There's an inherent tartness because fresh raspberries are tart by nature. I'd love to pair this with some vanilla ice cream for dessert. Truly remarkable.

Massive brown Backstage series bottle that's just stunning and well crafted of thick glass. Label is elegant and beautiful in a way a fruit beer is supposed to be. Poured into a stemmed tulip snifter.

A - deep dark reddish color that looks purple until the light shines it's brilliant red hue. Light pink head sits on top and pours large leaving a good and blanketed ring of lace before fading completely out toward the bottom.

T - taste Is a lovely balance of sweet and tart raspberry notes. It just works. Tart enough to start a pucker before fading out to a sweet dessert like flavor. Raspberry Is the star of course with big waves of this wonderful fruit slightly tart yet wonderfully sweet. Hints of their smaller raspberry ales and that same bread like Founders malt. Belgian yeast really shines through as this warms with alcohol notes blending well with a dark grape like wine note beneath the puckering tart and rich sweetness.

O - I enjoy founders fruit beers. Blushing Monk is all that except more flavor and punch at a sturdy abv. But I would much rather see this in 4 packs and say a bourbon barrel imperial stout hitting the backstage bottles. At nearly $20 this isn't a great bargain and I'd probably pass on it again. It's delicious and unique and no question worth the experience, but for me ultra special releases should be ultra special ales. Blushing monk is good but isn't special by any means. Just a good flavorful raspberry ale that's well made.

Had this on tap for the first time. Poured a bright red in a pint glass. Smell was pretty much straight up raspberries with maybe a little bit of yeast. Great nose that let you know what you were going to be in for. Taste was raspberry. Great raspberry taste that was not overly sweet or medicinal. It tasted pretty natural to me. What I found interesting was that with the sweet nose and taste it ended pretty dry which made it a lot more enjoyable to me. There was some carbonation almost fizzy like. I was really impressed by this considering I am not a huge belgian fan. I did not think the alcohol was hot rather I thought it was well masked. I brought a growler of this that night. It was a great beer to sip by the pool yesterday! I will get this again and pair with some chocolate cake or something similar for a desert!

"As blushing will sometimes make a whore pass for a virtuous woman, so modesty may make a fool seem a man of sense."

--Jonathan Swift

Fluorescent raspberry with dark coral edges and a cherry blossom pink head. The lovely looking crown is much larger and much more persistent than expected given the 12.3% ABV. Not only that, but thick-sticky sheets of lace begin to form as the foam begins to melt. This is pretty much how an Imperial raspberry fruit beer should look.

This big ale might have four times the amount of raspberries as Rubaeus, but the aroma isn't four times as powerful. Having said that, I like the raspberry fruitiness because it's made more complex by a certain muskiness and a hint of Belgian yeastiness. Amazingly, there's no hint of alcohol.

Blushing Monk is everything that a bigger Rubaeus should be. It contains much more malt (and probably some candi sugar besides), is sweeter, and is more raspberry-like. It might have double the berry flavor, but not triple... and certainly not quadruple. It's stunning how incredibly well-buried the alcohol is.

The flavor profile is dominated by an explosion of juicy raspberry pulp swimming in liquid sugar and an earthy yeastiness that allows the beer to find another gear at the midway point of each mouthful. Using a neutral ale yeast strain wouldn't have worked nearly as well. It still isn't as complex as an expertly-crafted Belgian ale, but it sure is tasty.

Sweet leads the way, tart-tangy follows close behind, and bitter finishes a distant third. Even though Rubaeus's dry, snappy finish is fine, this finish is more my speed since the flavor is allowed to get comfortable before slowly oozing away. The taste score will be rounded up rather than down because the Monk continues to become deeper and more complex as it warms.

Whenever I can't immediately come up with a way to improve any given beer's mouthfeel, it earns an automatic 4.5. Such is the case here. It's full enough without being too full and is sticky enough without being too sticky. An ideal amount of carbonation (gentle) helps as well.

Founders has every right to be proud of Blushing Monk. They've nailed the essence of a big raspberry fruit beer and they've picked the perfect name (considering the appearance and the ingredients). This isn't a beer that I'd drink often, especially at $15.39 per bomber, but it's a delicious treat that will ease me into the evening with style.

Never thought I'd get to have this beer, and then Founders re-released it, so here goes the review for the 2015 batch.

The dark, ruby red liquid hits the glass and immediately froths up to provide a good sized head. A beautiful color in the body of this beer is just off of brown, with tones a deep red tones. The head that forms is just slightly pink in color and thick and bubbly in texture. Retention and lacing are both very good. On the nose the raspberries unleash their might. Sweet and tart fruit juice scents hit the nostrils right up front and dominate the smell. If you can sniff past the fruit, there is a touch of traditional Belgian ale scents of yeast and a touch of funk.

When this beer hits the tongue, the only thing you can think is raspberry juice. Sweet upfront and then tart after a little bit, the raspberries dominate the taste just like they did in the scent. The raspberry is somewhere between natural, jammy raspberry and slightly medicinal, but very delicious. In the middle of the drink the raspberries fade just a touch and allow a mildly hopped Belgian pale ale base to come through and show off its flavors a little. This provides a good balance to the huge fruit notes. The finish of the drink is a resurgence of raspberries with an intermingling of light hops. As for feel, there is no way to detect the alcohol in this beer and the flavor profile makes you want to gulp it down. It feels a little thicker than expected, but that goes nicely with the jam-like flavors of the beer.

Overall, this beer doesn't disappoint after an almost 5 year hiatus. The raspberries are prominent and delicious, while the Belgian base ale makes its presence known as well. I cannot wait to see where this will go with age, if only I can manage to not drink my other bottles.

Appearance: Well, just to get it out of the way, this looks precisely like a 12.3% Belgian fruit-infused beer should look like. That is, it pours out a deep burgundy, thick and still, that a vigorous pour can only coax about a quarter finger of dull white, slightly tinged head that fades in about ten seconds. The lacing is precisely the same - nonexistent, that is, with anything even resembling it running and disappearing as soon as it starts to begin to think about maybe clinging to the sides of the glass.

Aroma: Absolutely huge raspberry literally permeates the room. It's evident from the initial opening of the bottle - thick, tart and sweet, natural, estery, slightly boozy with the 12.3%, and intermingling with tons of spice and roasted, sweet malts.

Taste: Enormous amounts of tart raspberry - not quite as much as Raspberry Tart, but certainly close, and probably a little tarter, actually, with some hints of other berry-like notes (strawberry predominantly) - and accompanied by a slew of pleasant dark Belgian notes. Slight fruity esters - bananas, mainly - a few spicy phenolic notes, and tons of moderately sweet roasted malts - brown sugar, caramel, other bready malts - and a faint amount of slightly spicy alcohol. Not terribly complex (or maybe it is, and it's just covered up well by a few strong, overwhelming notes) but very well-integrated, authentic, and enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: Not thick - or at least, cut well by the alcohol and fruit addition - but instead rather quenching and tart, with a faint prickle in the finish. The carbonation is definitely there, loose and free and easily dislodged.

Drinkability: An interesting brew that it's unfortunate to see retired. The Belgian thing almost works well with the raspberries, and the raspberries themselves are fantastic. Oh, and the alcohol is absolutely nonexistent, only poking its head through in very rare instances. Also, my girlfriend absolutely loved it, which is something I can pretty much say about only one other beer we've ever tried together (and I've made her try A LOT). So, definitely recommended.

12.3% alc per label.Poured into a oversized wine glass a full rich raspberry red with a hint of brown to it a lacy pink colored head atop,wow big tart raspberry aromas a bit of sweet alcohol and toast as well.Tastes like the raspberries off the bush I used to eat when running around the woods of central MI as a kid very tart with just a bit of sweetness but the tartness really is the show,there is a toasty backbone and a sticky sweet aftertaste and mouthfeel making it more that just tart raspberries on the palate.The best fruit beer of any kind I have had I had Rubeus over the summer and this is a double version of that,kick ass beer.

$13.59 a bottle at Woodmans East. Wowza! 12.3% Pours a crimson lavender with a huge pink tinged white head. Dissipation is rapid despite a lot of visible carbonation. Aroma is boozy and very powerful, consisting mostly of raspberries. Very tart and boozy flavor of raspberries. Full to the point of being heavy. Raspberry flavor is out of this world but its one dimensional, not that that is necessarily bad. I think this beer is exactly what the brewers were going for. Its really quite astounding. Personally, however, I am not very happy with it. Its just too big, too strong, and too much of a good thing. I also dont like that the body, at least to me, seems to come more from alcohol then from raspberries. Impressive it is, simply for being so big and so fruity but I really did not enjoy it and had a tough time finishing the bottle, even with a little help.